Antigen transfer from exosomes to dendritic cells as an explanation for the immune enhancement seen by IgE immune complexes

IgE antigen complexes induce increased specific T cell proliferation and increased specific IgG production. Immediately after immunization, CD23⁺ B cells capture IgE antigen complexes, transport them to the spleen where, via unknown mechanisms, dendritic cells capture the antigen and present it to T cells. CD23, the low affinity IgE receptor, binds IgE antigen complexes and internalizes them. In this study, we show that these complexes are processed onto B-cell derived exosomes (bexosomes) in a CD23 dependent manner. The bexosomes carry CD23, IgE and MHC II and stimulate antigen specific T-cell proliferation in vitro. When IgE antigen complex stimulated bexosomes are incubated with dendritic cells, dendritic cells induce specific T-cell proliferation in vivo, similar to IgE antigen complexes. This suggests that bexosomes can provide the essential transfer mechanism for IgE antigen complexes from B cells to dendritic cells.

IgE-mediated enhancement of CD4+ T cell responses in mice requires antigen presentation by CD11c+ cells and not by B cells

IgE antibodies, administered to mice together with their specific antigen, enhance antibody and CD4(+) T cell responses to this antigen. The effect is dependent on the low affinity receptor for IgE, CD23, and the receptor must be expressed on B cells. In vitro, IgE-antigen complexes are endocytosed via CD23 on B cells, which subsequently present the antigen to CD4(+) T cells. This mechanism has been suggested to explain also IgE-mediated enhancement of immune responses in vivo. We recently found that CD23(+) B cells capture IgE-antigen complexes in peripheral blood and rapidly transport them to B cell follicles in the spleen. This provides an alternative explanation for the requirement for CD23(+) B cells. The aim of the present study was to determine whether B-cell mediated antigen presentation of IgE-antigen complexes explains the enhancing effect of IgE on immune responses in vivo. The ability of spleen cells, taken from mice 1-4 h after immunization with IgE-antigen, to present antigen to specific CD4(+) T cells was analyzed. Antigen presentation was intact when spleens were depleted of CD19(+) cells (i.e., primarily B cells) but was severely impaired after depletion of CD11c(+) cells (i.e., primarily dendritic cells). In agreement with this, the ability of IgE to enhance proliferation of CD4(+) T cells was abolished in CD11c-DTR mice conditionally depleted of CD11c(+) cells. Finally, the lack of IgE-mediated enhancemen of CD4(+) T cell responses in CD23(-/-) mice could be rescued by transfer of MHC-II-compatible as well as by MHC-II-incompatible CD23(+) B cells. These findings argue against the idea that IgE-mediated enhancement of specific CD4(+) T cell responses in vivo is caused by increased antigen presentation by B cells. A model where CD23(+) B cells act as antigen transporting cells, delivering antigen to CD11c(+) cells for presentation to T cells is consistent with available experimental data.

A role for serglycin proteoglycan in granular retention and processing of mast cell secretory granule components

In the absence of serglycin proteoglycans, connective tissue-type mast cells fail to assemble mature metachromatic secretory granules, and this is accompanied by a markedly reduced ability to store neutral proteases. However, the mechanisms behind these phenomena are not known. In this study, we addressed these issues by studying the functionality and morphology of secretory granules as well as the fate of the secretory granule proteases in bone marrow-derived mast cells from serglycin(+/+) and serglycin(-/-) mice. We show that functional secretory vesicles are formed in both the presence and absence of serglycin, but that dense core formation is defective in serglycin(-/-) mast cell granules. The low levels of mast cell proteases present in serglycin(-/-) cells had a granular location, as judged by immunohistochemistry, and were released following exposure to calcium ionophore, indicating that they were correctly targeted into secretory granules even in the absence of serglycin. In the absence of serglycin, the fates of the serglycin-dependent proteases differed, including preferential degradation, exocytosis or defective intracellular processing. In contrast, beta-hexosaminidase storage and release was not dependent on serglycin. Together, these findings indicate that the reduced amounts of neutral proteases in the absence of serglycin is not caused by missorting into the constitutive pathway of secretion, but rather that serglycin may be involved in the retention of the proteases after their entry into secretory vesicles.

A role for cathepsin E in the processing of mast-cell carboxypeptidase A

Mast-cell carboxypeptidase A is stored in the secretory granule and is released, together with a range of other inflammatory mediators, upon mast-cell degranulation. Carboxypeptidase A, like all mast-cell proteases, is stored in the granule as an active enzyme (i.e. with its propeptide removed). Although the processing mechanisms for the other classes of mast-cell proteases (in particular the chymases) have been clarified to some extent, the processing of procarboxypeptidase A is poorly characterized. Here, we show that mast cells from mice lacking the aspartic protease cathepsin E display an accumulation of procarboxypeptidase A, indicating a defect in carboxypeptidase-A processing. By contrast, mast cells lacking cathepsins B, L or D have normal carboxypeptidase-A processing. Furthermore, recombinant cathepsin E was found to process recombinant procarboxypeptidase A in vitro, under conditions resembling those found in mast-cell granules. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed staining for cathepsin E in mast cells from normal mice but not in mast cells from mice lacking heparin, indicating that cathepsin E is bound to heparin proteoglycan within mast-cell granules. In accordance with this notion, affinity chromatography showed that recombinant cathepsin E bound strongly to heparin under acidic conditions (the conditions prevailing in mast-cell granules) but not at neutral pH. Moreover, mast-cell degranulation resulted in the release of cathepsin E. Taken together, our results indicate that cathepsin E is located in mast-cell secretory granules in complex with heparin proteoglycans, and that it has a role in the processing of procarboxypeptidase A into active protease.

Mast cell cathepsins C and S control levels of carboxypeptidase A and the chymase, mouse mast cell protease 5

Carboxypeptidase A (CPA) is a metalloprotease, residing in the mast cell secretory granules together with chymases and tryptases. Little information is available with respect to the mechanisms that maintain or regulate the levels of stored proteases in the mast cell secretory granules. In this study we examined whether cathepsins C and S may be involved in the control of the levels of mast cell proteases. Mast cells cultured from bone marrow of cathepsin C- or S-null mice expressed higher levels of CPA protein and activity than cells from wild-type mice. Similar increases in protein were observed for the mouse chymase, mast cell protease-5 (mMCP-5), but not for the tryptase, mMCP-6. Steady-state levels of CPA and mMCP-5 mRNA were similar in wild-type and cathepsin C-null mast cells, indicating that post-transcriptional mechanisms explain the observed cathepsin C-dependence of CPA and mMCP-5 expression. The present study thus indicates novel roles for cathepsins C and S in regulating the levels of stored proteases in the mast cell secretory granules.

Secretion of macrophage urokinase plasminogen activator is dependent on proteoglycans

The importance of proteoglycans for secretion of proteolytic enzymes was studied in the murine macrophage cell line J774. Untreated or 4beta-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-stimulated macrophages were treated with hexyl-beta-d-thioxyloside to interfere with the attachment of glycosaminoglycan chains to their respective protein cores. Activation of the J774 macrophages with PMA resulted in increased secretion of trypsin-like serine proteinase activity. This activity was completely inhibited by plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 and by amiloride, identifying the activity as urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA). Treatment of both the unstimulated or PMA-stimulated macrophages with xyloside resulted in decreased uPA activity and Western blotting analysis revealed an almost complete absence of secreted uPA protein after xyloside treatment of either control- or PMA-treated cells. Zymography analyses with gels containing both gelatin and plasminogen confirmed these findings. The xyloside treatment did not reduce the mRNA levels for uPA, indicating that the effect was at the post-translational level. Treatment of the macrophages with xylosides did also reduce the levels of secreted matrix metalloproteinase 9. Taken together, these findings indicate a role for proteoglycans in the secretion of uPA and MMP-9.

Altered storage of proteases in mast cells from mice lacking heparin: a possible role for heparin in carboxypeptidase A processing

Heparin-deficient mice, generated by gene targeting of N-deacetylase/N-sulfotransferase-2 (NDST-2), display severe mast cell defects, including an absence of stored mast cell proteases. However, the mechanism behind these observations is not clear. Here we show that NDST-2+/+ bone marrow-derived mast cells cultured in the presence of IL-3 synthesise, in addition to highly sulphated chondroitin sulphate (CS), small amounts of equally highly sulphated heparin-like polysaccharide. The corresponding NDST-2-/- cells produced highly sulphated CS only. Carboxypeptidase A (CPA) activity was detected in NDST+/+ cells but was almost absent in the NDST-/- cells, whereas tryptase (mouse mast cell protease 6; mMCP-6) activity and antigen was detected in both cell types. Antigen for the chymase mMCP-5 was detected in NDST-2+/+ cells but not in the heparin-deficient cells. Northern blot analysis revealed mRNA expression of CPA, mMCP-5 and mMCP-6 in both wild-type and NDST-2-/- cells. A approximately 36 kDa CPA band, corresponding to proteolytically processed active CPA, as well as a approximately 50 kDa pro-CPA band was present in NDST-2+/+ cells. The NDST-2-/- mast cells contained similar levels of pro-CPA as the wild-type mast cells, but the approximately 36 kDa band was totally absent. This indicates that the processing of pro-CPA to its active form may require the presence of heparin and provides the first insight into a mechanism by which the absence of heparin may cause disturbed secretory granule organisation in mast cells.